Portugal’s media regulator IGAC has officially recognised PEGI as the age rating system for video games.
Actually, the relevant legislative amendment came into force back in January, but it’s just now that the PEGI organization has reflected this fact on its website. Why now? Because that’s one of the achievements of Portugal’s Presidency of the European Union, which is ending on June 30.
What did Portugal use before, I hear you ask? It still used PEGI! But that was different because it was a self-regulatory effort by the country’s video games industry. And now PEGI has become the market standard in the country, just like it also has in over 35 countries across Europe.
PEGI’s Director of Operations, Dirk Bosmans, said: “PEGI is committed to giving parents and consumers the appropriate tools and information so they can make informed decisions when they are buying video games for their children. The age rating system is at the heart of PEGI’s commitment to minor protection, and it is encouraging to see it now officially adopted in Portugal. It gives us the confidence to ensure that PEGI remains reliable and relevant in a quickly-evolving market environment.”